Prominent amongst its applications, 2,2-dibromono-3-nitrilopropionamide (i.e., "DBNPA") finds beneficial use as a microbiocide. Satisfactory antimicrobial compositions including same are oftentimes comprised of a recipe containing:
______________________________________ Percent by Weight in Composition Ingredient Broad Preferred ______________________________________ DBNPA 0.1-40 5-20 Tetraethylene Glycol (i.e., "TEG" or Equivalent) up to 60 40-60 Water (H.sub.2 O) 20-99 20-60 Paraformaldehyde (or other Stabilizer) up to 2 0.1-1.0 Sodium Bromide (NaBr) up to 20 1-5 ______________________________________ (pH of composition adjusted to about 3-5 with sodium carbonate, or equivalent)
DBNPA has been made pursuant to various reactions including the bromination of cyanoacetamide (i.e., "CA") in aqueous solution. DBNPA made by such procedures sometimes must be isolated as a product before being formulated into an antimicrobial composition.
The CA to be synthesized into DBNPA has been prepared by conversion of a starting alkyl .alpha.-cyanoacetate (i.e., "Alk-CA") by means of ammonolysis in an aliphatic alcohol or water medium. In such conversions, however, the CA is obtained as a solid precipitate in the reaction mass which is difficult to handle and must be separated as a solid for DBNPA manufacture or other desired purposes.
Relevant prior art involving the preparation of CA and DBNPA and formulation of the latter into antimicrobial preparations is in the Listing of References in the attached Appendix.
Nothing in prior art appears to teach a method for the manufacture of CA, DBNPA or utile antimicrobial compositions of DBNPA as advantageous as the method disclosed herein.